Support local food system

Beki Guion

Posted:
03/14/2013 09:11:45 AM MDT

S upporting the local food system is very important to me. As a farmer, I have a deep passion for sharing the many possibilities of our growing season, and not only from my farm but from many farms in the area.

The Central Colorado Foodshed Alliance is just one of the ways that I have become involved in the effort to make local foods and their sources available to our communities. Throughout this season, please stay tuned to this column for what is available locally. I will be featuring many aspects of local food production, including my farm (Family Roots Farm), area produce history, farm features, recipes, information on common and not so common fruits and vegetables that are produced in our area, when they are available and much more.

I have been a part of the CCFA for six years, almost the duration of the organization. The CCFA was formed in 2007 by a diverse group of local food advocates in Salida and surrounding area. After many discussions and a Holistic Management workshop, the group's mission became clearly defined.

With the help of the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union and an USDA rural economic development grant, the CCFA was able to begin several projects in the first year of operation. The CCFA is a cooperative organization created to stimulate and support the local food economy in our foodshed. Within the foodshed the CCFA works to unite local producers and consumers, provide education about the value of local food, and foster a vibrant local economy while promoting productive open space and sustainability.

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The CCFA provides many resources for both its members and non-members of the coop. Many of the projects are now beginning to sustain themselves. Some of those projects include Farmers Markets in Buena Vista, Canon City (at the Abbey), and Salida, a guide to local foods that is printed each year with member information as are source for consumers and a benefit to its members. A member equipment program, education program including a film series, and an interactive website at ccfa.coop, are also projects we have successfully gotten off the ground. We have now grown the organization to the point where we are currently looking for a general manager. As for me and my farm, Family Roots Farm is a 4th generation farm.

My grandparents, John and Julia Javernick, bought their farm in the 40s. They raised mainly cole crops, including cabbage and cauliflower, on up to 40 acres at a time. While I only farm about 5 acres of that same land now, I have a deep admiration for my grandparents and the many acres they farmed. My deep interests for local food production have been in grained in my roots since the time I was little.

The CCFA is just one of the many local food projects I have been involved with, and I will continue being a part of our local food system and the promotion of it.